When was the last time you buffed up your car washing technique? For most car owners, car washing involves little more than an old rag, a bucket of suds, and some elbow grease. This old school approach may be cheap, easy, and time-honoured, but it’s not particularly effective. In fact, improper car washing technique can damage your car, leaving you to deal with spiderweb scratch marks and windshield repairs.
Nobody wants their leisurely Sunday wash to mar their car, and our windshield repair team wants to help. That’s why the Speers Auto Glass experts have assembled this list of 5 common and costly mistakes car washers make. Read on to save your car a scratch or windshield repair!
5 Common and Costly Car Washing Mistakes
1. Using dishwashing soap
People use dishwashing soap on their cars all of the time. Why? It’s cheap, abundant, and readily available in most Hamilton households. Unfortunately, some of the chemicals in dishwashing soap are rather harsh on car paint. Next time you go to clean your car, invest in a bottle of inexpensive, coat-friendly car wash soap.
2. Reaching for the wrong rag
Ditch the dingy old rag you’ve been dragging across your car for years. Paper towels leave lint, and old newspaper could drag bleeding ink across your car’s finish. When it comes to car washing, microfiber rules. Cotton towels are a poor choice. They’re often responsible for the spiderweb scratches car owners are left with after a wash, and they do a poor job of absorbing dirt. In contrast, microfiber is gentle on your car’s surface, and is specially designed to list and hold dust and dirt. You might want to get your hands on a microfiber car wash mitt.
3. Double-dipping the same cloth in different products
If you take the time to invest in different cleaners for the car’s windshield, tires, and body, why would you use the same cloth for each? In doing so, you spread residual product to improper areas. Avoid this problematic cross-contamination: window cleaner doesn’t belong on your car’s body, and vice versa. This mistake could cost you the price of a windshield repair, as corrosive cleaners could damage the tiny heating filament in your front and back windshield.
4. Forgetting a finishing product
If you want a professional-level clean, you need a professional-level process. After you’ve washed and dried your car, don’t forget to apply the finish. This product contains a small amount of wax meant to eliminate smudges, fingerprints, smears, and otherwise give your car the shine you pay the pros for.
5. Working in the sun
Giving the car a good wash in the Sunday sun might sound like a lovely way to enjoy the tail end of your weekend, but it’s a big mistake. Washing your vehicle in direct sunlight will speed the drying process past the point of being productive. Unless you’re a ninja with the microfiber cloth, you’re going to be left with a lot of annoying water spots.
Avoiding these 5 common and costly mistakes can really help you get the most out of your car washing efforts, without having to spend extra money on cleaning supplies, body work, or windshield repair.
If you’d like to learn more from our windshield repair team, give us a call today at (905)-339-0339.
